Grissom pulled his SUV up to the curb in front of Jane Gallaway's house. A
sleek sports car pulled in back of him. Gil waited for Professor Hamilton
to exit the vehicle, then moved up onto the porch, ducking under the yellow
tape that set this house apart from the rest of the homes on this quiet
street.
Hamilton joined him as he opened the police lock on the door. Once they were in the entryway, Hamilton turned back and fingered the three locks on the door. "Don't tell me anything yet. I want to get a feel for the place first."
Gil opened his mouth to protest, then thought better of it and instead pulled out his cell phone to check his messages. He listened to various members of his team reported in as he watched Hamilton prowl through the house. He snapped the phone shut as Hamilton made his way back into the entry hall.
"She obviously was terrified of her stalker. Most of what I see is a pretty typical reaction to being stalked. The foil on the windows is a different twist though."
Grissom nodded. "That threw us at first, too. It seems to have been a last ditch effort to block him from knowing what she was doing."
"He would get close enough to the house to look in the windows?" Hamilton moved closer to the nearest window and examined the carefully applied layer of aluminum foil that covered it. With a carefully manicured hand he peeled back one corner and stared out into the side yard. There was less than five feet between the window and the fence that separated Jane's yard from her neighbor's. "That is an unusually brazen move. How close to the end did he become that bold?"
"He never looked in her windows. He had a closer vantage point." Grissom took off his jacket and dropped it over the back of the sofa. "I think it's time to show you what we never released to the press." Without additional explanation he moved to the bedroom, and from there entered the closet. Ignoring Hamilton's muffled 'what the hell?' he climbed up into the attic.
Gil didn't say a word; he just moved to kneel next to the peephole into the living room and waited. When Hamilton arrived, he just pointed at the labeled plug.
There were very few times in the course of a day that Mitchell Hamilton wasn't actively aware of his appearance. His position at the university and on the lecture circuit necessitated that he look the part of the sophisticated professor. Right now was one of those rare times. He'd snagged his sleeve climbing up into the attic, and now he was on his knees on the dusty attic floor. He didn't give his clothes a second thought as he bent down to look through the hole and observed the living room they had occupied just minutes before. The detail was amazing, from this viewpoint he could even see the teeth of the zipper on Grissom's coat, tossed earlier on the sofa below. He picked up the plug and examined it. The popcorn texture matched the ceiling perfectly, as did the color. Sliding it back into its hole proved how well it lined up. Hamilton twisted slightly to sit on the floor, resting his knees. "How many rooms was he watching?"
"All of them." Grissom rubbed the back of his neck. "There wasn't a square foot of this house that he didn't have a way to watch. Not to mention the cameras, video equipment, and fiber optics. It's going to take us another week to go through the tapes we found at his apartment." He stood up, moving to the wall where Nigel had tapped into Jane's second line and lifted the receiver crudely wired into the phone lines. "Dozens of calls made to Jane from up here. He probably reported every move she made back to her."
"Quite brilliant, actually." Hamilton stared off into the distance as he thought out loud. "The more frightened she became, the more she retreated into what she thought was the safety of her own home, unwittingly giving him more control over her."
"A vicious circle, with Nigel controlling the pace." Gil angrily tossed the phone onto the floor. "She did everything we tell a stalking victim to do, and he used that to his advantage. By the time he made his move and killed her, she was probably so terrified that she couldn't function."
Hamilton wandered through the attic, examining the world that Nigel Crane had built up there. Finally, he stopped and turned back to Grissom. "How did he get up here; where was his access?"
Grissom moved over to the skylight and unhooked the latch. Rather than use the crank handle to open it, he just pushed on the framework. The handle spun freely as the Plexiglas moved up. "I did some checking. When this sub-division was built, this was the cheapest and the easiest way to vent an attic. All he had to do was be in the attic one time while he was installing her satellite cable and then he just made sure that it was unlatched when he left."
"Fascinating, this guy will make an interesting case study." Hamilton seemed to be salivating at the thought and that angered Grissom.
"With any luck, he'll rot in prison. How do we help his victim? That's my only concern right now."
Hamilton gave a smile that struck Grissom as both shallow and condescending. "As I said, my associate, David Emerson is the one who treats the victims. My work is on the other end of the spectrum. If I can understand what makes someone like Nigel Crane tick, maybe I can stop the next Nigel before he gets to this point." He stopped the lecture and his smile warmed up a bit. "Dr. Emerson is very good at what he does. Your friend will be in good hands."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The alarm clock announced the passage of another hour, and Warrick gratefully struggled to his feet. The image of Nick flying through that window would be the subject of his nightmares for weeks to come, there was no doubt. The light seeping in around the drawn blinds was enough to illuminate his way as he moved towards the bedroom. Once there, he had to turn on the overhead light to get a better look at his temporary roommate. Nick was burrowed deeply under the covers, no part of him was visible.
Warrick wasn't sure where to poke the lump on the bed, so he relied on his voice. "Nick, it's time to wake up." He took a breath and tried again. "Sorry, man, but we need to check that your brain isn't scrambled, so you gotta wake up."
Just as Warrick started to become concerned, the covers moved and a hand appeared. The hand was raised with one finger vertical.
"Okay man, I get the hint. See you in an hour." Warrick laughed softly waited until the hand retreated before turning off the light and closing the door behind him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Luna Cable truck was no longer in Nigel's driveway so Grissom parked there, maneuvering his Tahoe as far to the left as possible to give Hamilton room to park next to him. As the two men walked up the stairs, Gil explained why the window was boarded shut. Hamilton paused on the balcony to look down at the crushed shrubbery that had cushioned Nick's fall.
Once the door was unlocked, Grissom moved to the side and allowed Hamilton to enter first. Hamilton turned around slowly, taking in the empty rooms. "I've heard of bachelor pads, but isn't this a bit empty even for that?"
Gris merely pointed up. Hamilton looked up at the ceiling, then back at Grissom. "The attic? He lived in his own attic?" The stepstool that Nigel left behind made entry easy and soon the two men were up in Nigel's world. Hamilton ran a finger along an empty shelf as he gave a questioning look at Grissom.
"All of those shelves were filled with video tapes. They're at the lab being examined, along with all the photos and his journals. They can't leave the lab, but after we've looked at all of them, I'll arrange for you to have access." Gil repressed a shudder. After the excitement of finding Nigel's lair had worn off, Gil found that the place really gave him the creeps – not that he would admit it to anyone.
Hamilton could barely contain his excitement. "Thank you, that should be quite a study. I'd like to spend some time here later, but right now I'd like to see the home of the last victim."
Gil nodded. "That's probably a good idea. Some of my people are over there right now cleaning up some of the damage."
"Damage?"
"Nigel's behavior was entirely different over there." Gil wearily sat on the only chair in the attic. "He never wore gloves, and he handled everything – handled and licked."
"Like he was marking his territory?" Hamilton leaned against the bench that had once held video equipment and rubbed his jaw line. "Fascinating."
"There's more. Evidence suggests that he had a sexual interest in Nick." Gris decided not to explain further, but to wait and show Professor Hamilton the evidence when they got there.
Hamilton understood what Gil was telling him, and what he wasn't. "Was Nick alone, or did he have company while Crane was watching?"
Gil thought about the question. "I honestly don't know."
Hamilton joined him as he opened the police lock on the door. Once they were in the entryway, Hamilton turned back and fingered the three locks on the door. "Don't tell me anything yet. I want to get a feel for the place first."
Gil opened his mouth to protest, then thought better of it and instead pulled out his cell phone to check his messages. He listened to various members of his team reported in as he watched Hamilton prowl through the house. He snapped the phone shut as Hamilton made his way back into the entry hall.
"She obviously was terrified of her stalker. Most of what I see is a pretty typical reaction to being stalked. The foil on the windows is a different twist though."
Grissom nodded. "That threw us at first, too. It seems to have been a last ditch effort to block him from knowing what she was doing."
"He would get close enough to the house to look in the windows?" Hamilton moved closer to the nearest window and examined the carefully applied layer of aluminum foil that covered it. With a carefully manicured hand he peeled back one corner and stared out into the side yard. There was less than five feet between the window and the fence that separated Jane's yard from her neighbor's. "That is an unusually brazen move. How close to the end did he become that bold?"
"He never looked in her windows. He had a closer vantage point." Grissom took off his jacket and dropped it over the back of the sofa. "I think it's time to show you what we never released to the press." Without additional explanation he moved to the bedroom, and from there entered the closet. Ignoring Hamilton's muffled 'what the hell?' he climbed up into the attic.
Gil didn't say a word; he just moved to kneel next to the peephole into the living room and waited. When Hamilton arrived, he just pointed at the labeled plug.
There were very few times in the course of a day that Mitchell Hamilton wasn't actively aware of his appearance. His position at the university and on the lecture circuit necessitated that he look the part of the sophisticated professor. Right now was one of those rare times. He'd snagged his sleeve climbing up into the attic, and now he was on his knees on the dusty attic floor. He didn't give his clothes a second thought as he bent down to look through the hole and observed the living room they had occupied just minutes before. The detail was amazing, from this viewpoint he could even see the teeth of the zipper on Grissom's coat, tossed earlier on the sofa below. He picked up the plug and examined it. The popcorn texture matched the ceiling perfectly, as did the color. Sliding it back into its hole proved how well it lined up. Hamilton twisted slightly to sit on the floor, resting his knees. "How many rooms was he watching?"
"All of them." Grissom rubbed the back of his neck. "There wasn't a square foot of this house that he didn't have a way to watch. Not to mention the cameras, video equipment, and fiber optics. It's going to take us another week to go through the tapes we found at his apartment." He stood up, moving to the wall where Nigel had tapped into Jane's second line and lifted the receiver crudely wired into the phone lines. "Dozens of calls made to Jane from up here. He probably reported every move she made back to her."
"Quite brilliant, actually." Hamilton stared off into the distance as he thought out loud. "The more frightened she became, the more she retreated into what she thought was the safety of her own home, unwittingly giving him more control over her."
"A vicious circle, with Nigel controlling the pace." Gil angrily tossed the phone onto the floor. "She did everything we tell a stalking victim to do, and he used that to his advantage. By the time he made his move and killed her, she was probably so terrified that she couldn't function."
Hamilton wandered through the attic, examining the world that Nigel Crane had built up there. Finally, he stopped and turned back to Grissom. "How did he get up here; where was his access?"
Grissom moved over to the skylight and unhooked the latch. Rather than use the crank handle to open it, he just pushed on the framework. The handle spun freely as the Plexiglas moved up. "I did some checking. When this sub-division was built, this was the cheapest and the easiest way to vent an attic. All he had to do was be in the attic one time while he was installing her satellite cable and then he just made sure that it was unlatched when he left."
"Fascinating, this guy will make an interesting case study." Hamilton seemed to be salivating at the thought and that angered Grissom.
"With any luck, he'll rot in prison. How do we help his victim? That's my only concern right now."
Hamilton gave a smile that struck Grissom as both shallow and condescending. "As I said, my associate, David Emerson is the one who treats the victims. My work is on the other end of the spectrum. If I can understand what makes someone like Nigel Crane tick, maybe I can stop the next Nigel before he gets to this point." He stopped the lecture and his smile warmed up a bit. "Dr. Emerson is very good at what he does. Your friend will be in good hands."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The alarm clock announced the passage of another hour, and Warrick gratefully struggled to his feet. The image of Nick flying through that window would be the subject of his nightmares for weeks to come, there was no doubt. The light seeping in around the drawn blinds was enough to illuminate his way as he moved towards the bedroom. Once there, he had to turn on the overhead light to get a better look at his temporary roommate. Nick was burrowed deeply under the covers, no part of him was visible.
Warrick wasn't sure where to poke the lump on the bed, so he relied on his voice. "Nick, it's time to wake up." He took a breath and tried again. "Sorry, man, but we need to check that your brain isn't scrambled, so you gotta wake up."
Just as Warrick started to become concerned, the covers moved and a hand appeared. The hand was raised with one finger vertical.
"Okay man, I get the hint. See you in an hour." Warrick laughed softly waited until the hand retreated before turning off the light and closing the door behind him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Luna Cable truck was no longer in Nigel's driveway so Grissom parked there, maneuvering his Tahoe as far to the left as possible to give Hamilton room to park next to him. As the two men walked up the stairs, Gil explained why the window was boarded shut. Hamilton paused on the balcony to look down at the crushed shrubbery that had cushioned Nick's fall.
Once the door was unlocked, Grissom moved to the side and allowed Hamilton to enter first. Hamilton turned around slowly, taking in the empty rooms. "I've heard of bachelor pads, but isn't this a bit empty even for that?"
Gris merely pointed up. Hamilton looked up at the ceiling, then back at Grissom. "The attic? He lived in his own attic?" The stepstool that Nigel left behind made entry easy and soon the two men were up in Nigel's world. Hamilton ran a finger along an empty shelf as he gave a questioning look at Grissom.
"All of those shelves were filled with video tapes. They're at the lab being examined, along with all the photos and his journals. They can't leave the lab, but after we've looked at all of them, I'll arrange for you to have access." Gil repressed a shudder. After the excitement of finding Nigel's lair had worn off, Gil found that the place really gave him the creeps – not that he would admit it to anyone.
Hamilton could barely contain his excitement. "Thank you, that should be quite a study. I'd like to spend some time here later, but right now I'd like to see the home of the last victim."
Gil nodded. "That's probably a good idea. Some of my people are over there right now cleaning up some of the damage."
"Damage?"
"Nigel's behavior was entirely different over there." Gil wearily sat on the only chair in the attic. "He never wore gloves, and he handled everything – handled and licked."
"Like he was marking his territory?" Hamilton leaned against the bench that had once held video equipment and rubbed his jaw line. "Fascinating."
"There's more. Evidence suggests that he had a sexual interest in Nick." Gris decided not to explain further, but to wait and show Professor Hamilton the evidence when they got there.
Hamilton understood what Gil was telling him, and what he wasn't. "Was Nick alone, or did he have company while Crane was watching?"
Gil thought about the question. "I honestly don't know."